Secular people often make giving a solitary activity at the end of the year, one that feels like a sacrifice. That’s the wrong way to think about giving back. We learned a lot from churches and temples and the way they turn giving into an enjoyable, uplifting social activity. Our profile of a master pastor at a mega-church, Bill Hybels, reveals some of the magic he employs. We all are social animals and when we do things with a group of people we like, the activity becomes more fun.

So form a book club and engage in a few volunteer or giving activities together—or link your book club to Book Clubs for Change, bookclubs4change.org. Choose a need in your community or an area of the world that you all care about. Then choose a topic and an organization you might work with. Or maybe consider an on-location trip to the area and meet some of the people you want to help?

Or join a chapter of Dining for Women, which is one of the secular organizations that borrows from the religious notion of fellowship and joyous giving for a cause. DFW has guests bring a pot luck dish to a host's home and then they all donate the money they would spend at a restaurant to a chosen cause empowering women worldwide. Some groups have a subcommittee screen a list of finalists and the group votes on a final selection. In A Path Appears, we list some other great organizations—there’s even one called Beer for Books—that make giving a social and fun occasion.

soundoff(1,289 Responses)

chri§§y

Lmao @ banasy. Now you KNOW hes not catching onto that at all. In the dictionary next to wishy washy is a pic of him. But damn wouldnt it be great if we could put a gag order on him? Or just a gag even? Lmao

Rather than talking about the reality of bush-era federal gag orders still be in place over Connie Chung and Sibel D. Edmonds, chrissy's little brain headed straight for the fantasy world of a judge having me gagged. What a turd.

There is NOTHING wrong with being a sodomite in the USA. (unless you are in the military, then it's forbidden) It's perfectly legal and approved by most politicians and religious leaders. Why you take issue with it or "accuse" me of being a sodomite...as if being gay is a bad thing...is beyond me. Totally hypocritical and not even close to being politically correct.

You are the one who took "But please keep your butt sniffing fantasys to yourself! They are pretty gross for us normal people to hear!" in the direction you did.

January 3, 2015 at 7:55 pm |

Philip

America's new generation of kids are playing Grand Theft Auto 5 spending quality time with their dad who enjoys it too. Stop being such a prude, Donna. You really are Mrs. Cleaver, aren't you. Or, rather, an ostrich with it's head in the sand and would rather not know how bad America really is.

Your GTA deflection aside, you are the one who connected sodomy with Chrissy's post. That's where your mind leapt.

January 3, 2015 at 8:14 pm |

Philip

GTA wasn't a deflection. It was to illustrate how silly it is to look down your nose at a man who fantasizes about panties or lack thereof from time to time while boys and their dad's biatch slap scantily dressed women for the fun of it. And slaughter all kinds of people. For funsies. A little panty talk is NOTHING.

The only ones who think that the use of the term "conspiracy theory" is a "cop-out" are those that believe such theories are, indeed, reality.

Even after being presented evidence, they will dismiss it if it doesn't conform with their chosen theory.

Like Sandy Hook. Look at the damage those crazy freaks did to the families that lost children.

People like that? They're dangerous.

January 3, 2015 at 8:02 pm |

Philip

...look at TV helicopter news footage of 3 other gunmen at Sandy Hook that day, rather. And know that the father's of both the "Sandy Creek Shooter" and "Aurora Theatre Shooter" are the two men who blew the whistle on 17 of the world's largest banks for scamming trillions of dollars from customers by fixing LIBOR rates.

I pray to God you never have to deal with the pain of burying your own child, just to have some psychotic paranoid schizophrenic diminish your child's life and death by spouting the most retarded Alex Jonesian bullshit to scratch your fever dream itch because your life lacks meaning.

Idiot.

January 3, 2015 at 8:25 pm |

Philip

You are stuck with the official version of the story and turning a blind-eye to those 3 other gunmen filmed by local TV news cameras at Sandy Hook. At the fact that the "gunmans" rifle was found in the trunk of a car AFTER the supposed shootings! That on Youtube right now are videos of president Obama on stage with one of the "victims" families getting ready to so a skit for national news. And having to shoo a little girl wearing a red dress off the stage, for she was one of the kids reported to have been slain!

Every bit of your "evidence" has been debunked, you lunatic.
You wouldn't know that, because you continue to visit reader-driven sites that confirm your biases; written by sick people just like yourself.

Shame on you.

January 3, 2015 at 8:46 pm |

Philip

BS. 2 of the 3 gunmen wearing camouflage were arrested by local authorities and later released to FBI agents. And both the Sandy Creek and Aurora Theater shooter's dads were the two men who blew the whistle on US and foreign banks scamming trillions of dollars from customers by illegally fixing LIBOR rates. Youtube videos clearly showing a little girl wearing a red dress on stage with President Obama AFTER she had been reported to be dead have NOT been debunked. Get a clue.

January 3, 2015 at 8:55 pm |

Philip

There are also Youtube videos of that little gir's dad laughing and joking around as he is reading his lines rehearsing being a grieving father before going on nationwide TV. Again, NOT debunked.

I am unsurprised you would know the intimate details of Hitler's sex life.

January 3, 2015 at 8:17 pm |

Philip

Of course not. You've read my long and wordy accounts of Hitler being sodomized by his parent's gay parrish priest. How he was a WW1 war hero and a special agent for the German government spying on Bayer and gang forming the illegal NAZI political party. How it ended with him being fat and stupid and building flying saucers instead of jet powered fighter planes.

I'm sure the part where you delved in his sex life is what is truly motivated you.

January 3, 2015 at 8:31 pm |

Philip

Look at banasy pretending the theory of evolution doesn't fit her description of what a conspiracy theory is. The theory of God and Jesus being the same person does in fact fit your description of a "conspiracy theory", Donna.

Can you tell me how you made the leap from "I’m sure the part where you delved in his se life is what is truly motivated you." to "Look at banasy pretending the theory of evolution doesn’t fit her description of what a conspiracy theory is. The theory of God and Jesus being the same person does in fact fit your description of a “conspiracy theory”, Donna."?

Do you need some ice to treat that stretch?

January 3, 2015 at 8:41 pm |

Philip

Leap? It's the topic of the thread we have going. You just keep ignoring it in favor of discussing Hitler.

You asked how dung and sodomy were related. I illustrated my answer using Hitler. But the thrust of my comment was that the theories of evolution and that God and Jesus are the same person fit your description of what a "conspiracy theory" is to a T.

Also, I did not give a definition of a conspiracy theory; what I said was conspiracy theories appeal to people who cannot handle the reality of a chaotic world.

If you indeed were kicked off the debate team, it is because you do not know how to debate without attempting to put words in another's mouth.

In other words, you make up things that you think, and ascribe them to others; you then debate what wasn't said, instead of addressing what actually was.

January 3, 2015 at 9:54 pm |

Sherlock Holmes

There's more truth in what they don't say.

January 3, 2015 at 11:03 pm |

Philip

Most of what you call "conspiracy theories" describe a much more chaotic world than the one that you claim exists. So your theory about people wanting to believe "conspiracy theories" to escape a "chaotic world" is stupid.

And stay off infowars. Jones doesn't even believe the garbage he spouts.

January 4, 2015 at 10:52 am |

Philip

You forgot to include citations. (my impression of banasy pretending she doesn't know what keywords are and so asks for citations. Like, I couldn't simply google "sandy hook debunked" rather than asking for citations) Stupid Girl. By Garbage. Listen to it sometime on Youtube. 🙂

Then why don't you? Because it is much easier to believe a lie than it is to handle the truth, that's why.

January 4, 2015 at 10:54 am |

chri§§y

If you truly believed there was nothing wrong with being a sodomite, WHY then did you work soooo hard trying to convince the blogging world here that you were lusting after banasy when they all are pretty much already convinced youre gay? And how was my comment about your disgusting post about "butt sniffing" relative to sodomites anyway? Tis you thats the turd!

Smash and grab! JUST like that big ugly fat man that robbed that store with his buddies smashing and grabbing whatever they could get their greedy paws on in Ferguson, MO. Plus torching their neighbors homes and businesses! Just as you do to me here. Only they got something out of it.

Come on, @banasy. Sports stars and other celebrities talk about their achievements all the time. Reporters and magazines make millions telling US of records they set and stuff. It would do no harm nor be out of line in any way for you to tell us of something remarkable you have done. Stop being such a prude. Sheesh.

"So. Your family could afford underwear and socks and shoes with no holes in them when you were a little girl?"

You brought them up indirectly.

And my family is frequently the target of your poisoned mind, however fictionalized; I do not know why you would think your parents are sacrosanct, especially after you write this about your own parents:

We were so poor that children were not allowed to use toilet paper. We had to use pages of old Sears&Roebuck catalogs and stuff. So our parents could afford to party more.

January 4, 2015 at 12:56 pm |

Philip

It was the failing of growing up in a very small mountain community that had very little source of income is what it was. And what little income there was was spent on fancy things for adults as children went without. THE SAME EXACT WAY IT IS NOW, nationwide. Adults have all kinds of fancy things as their own kids go without.

Here's the thing, you ignorant ass: quit bringing us up using what you think is a "clever" bastardization of our names, and we won't address your insane screeds again.
Including bastardizing them as your username.

Very simple concept.

Think you can grasp that before your brain starts shooting off in 900 directions, like a pinball machine?

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